Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2016-8451
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Synaptics touchscreen driver could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. This issue is rated as High because it first requires compromising a privileged process. Product: Android. Versions: Kernel-3.4. Android ID: A-32178033.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceElevation of privilege vulnerability in the Synaptics touchscreen driver for Android (Kernel 3.4). A local malicious application that has already compromised a privileged process can exploit this driver flaw to execute arbitrary code within kernel context, achieving root-level code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
= 3.4CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the running kernel versionRun 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to display the kernel versionAffected if The version displays exactly 3.4 (e.g., 3.4.0, 3.4.x)
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Identify if a Synaptics touchscreen driver is loadedCheck for loaded kernel modules: 'lsmod | grep -i synaptics' or examine /sys/bus/platform/drivers/ for synaptics entriesAffected if A Synaptics driver module (e.g., synaptics_i2c, synaptics_rmi) is present and loaded
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Confirm the driver is from the vulnerable componentExamine module info with 'modinfo <synaptics_module>' or check driver files in /drivers/input/touchscreen/ for Synaptics-related source filesAffected if The driver is the Synaptics RMI4 or similar touchscreen driver for Android kernel 3.4
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Check if running on Android with kernel 3.4Verify the OS is Android ('getprop ro.build.version.release') and kernel is 3.x ('uname -r')Affected if The device runs Android with kernel version 3.4.x
A system is affected if it runs Linux Kernel version 3.4.x AND has the Synaptics touchscreen driver loaded as a kernel module, allowing a privileged-local attacker to escalate to kernel context.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply security patches from device OEMs/manufacturers. This is a kernel-level driver vulnerability requiring a system/firmware update from the device vendor rather than an application-level fix.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8451 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-8451 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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